Rebirth of the Thunder God

The smooth surface of the bracelet split and opened wide like a flower.

It was a strange shape he had never seen before, but he could roughly guess its use.

'It's used like a shield. Optimized for defense.'

It was a shape that would be useful for blocking hidden weapons, arrows, and weapons flying from a distance.

And seeing as it could even create wind pressure, it seemed it could even blow away poison.

Despite its unique shape, Namgung Hui was not particularly satisfied.

He was already practically immune to all poisons, and he could now use a protective ki.

And attack was the best defense.

It wasn't that it was completely useless, but he wasn't pleased that an artifact that could even change its shape was only for defense.

As if reading Namgung Hui's mind, the shape of the bracelet began to change again.

-Clatter. Clatter.

This time, it changed into a ring-shaped loop.

The sharpness of the cross-section was no ordinary thing, and it seemed it would be a quite effective means of attack if thrown at an enemy.

But even this was not pleasing.

Was it not a law that one could not just use a precious artifact as a throwing weapon?

Unless he could retrieve it again.

'Wait, if I apply the hidden weapon technique of the Tang family, I might be able to make it come back. Since I have to mix the lodestone into the dagger anyway, I can modify it together.'

Namgung Hui decided to casually ask Tang Soso, who would be his monitor.

Since she had said she would study the Rain of Ten Thousand Flowers for a while, she would know how outstanding its value was.

If she didn't recognize its value.

'Her level is only that much.'

But judging from the Tang family head's reaction, he must have fully grasped its true value.

The Tang family head had that much cultivation and skill, and he didn't seem to lack insight.

'By the way, how do I make this bracelet return to its original form?'

-Clatter.

"..."

As soon as Namgung Hui had that thought, the bracelet returned to its original form.

Could it be that it was connected to Namgung Hui the moment he shed blood on it?

Namgung Hui once again thought, 'Change into a flower shape.'

The bracelet immediately changed its shape, and when he thought, 'Return to your original form,' it regained its original appearance.

It didn't seem to be an artifact with a self, but it followed the owner's will.

As expected of a treasure chosen by Chichi.

"Chichi. Then I'd like you to tell me what functions the other items have."

"Kkik. Kkik. (If you share these earrings, you can communicate.)"

"Communicate? Do you mean telepathy?"

"Kkik. Kkik. (Look carefully.)"

Chichi took one of the earrings and went outside.

Namgung Hui held the remaining earring in his hand and focused his consciousness.

Then, he could faintly hear Chichi's voice.

-Kkik. Kkik? (Can you hear me?)

-Oh. This is strange. What principle does it operate on? Is it a type of magic tool?

He seemed to feel a faint celestial ki.

But he wasn't sure if it was entirely celestial ki.

-Kkik. Kkik. (There's probably not much ki embedded in it, so it'll probably only work 5 times a day.)

-That's right. If it were possible to use it continuously, that would be ridiculous. Then come back.

Chichi handed the earring to Namgung Hui.

Namgung Hui thought about who to give the earring to, and as expected.

'There's no one but Seolhwa. She and I can share one each. Communication is essential to carry out a plan in the Martial Alliance tournament.'

Now, only a piece of cloth was left.

He didn't know if it was for making clothes.

Or if it was for recording something.

Namgung Hui inwardly hoped it was a treasure map, but he couldn't see any map on the piece of cloth.

As Namgung Hui looked at Chichi, having no choice, this time Chichi opened his mouth before he could ask.

"Kkik. Kkik. (I don't know about that one either.)"

"Really? It's strange that there's something you don't know."

Chichi had known everything about treasures.

It seemed he really didn't know anything about the piece of cloth.

"But how did you know this was a precious item?"

"Kkik. Kkik? (Just a spirit's intuition? Anyway. If you have it, a day will come when you can use it.)"

"Yes. The earrings and bracelet alone are considerable treasures, so it's not like I have no gains."

It wasn't that he had no gains, it was considerable.

The bracelet alone provided both defense and attack means.

And the earrings had a function he had never heard of or seen before...

'No. I think I've heard that immortals used to communicate with magic tools in the past.'

In particular, he had seen his master communicate with a friend using a plain-looking wooden tablet.

It seemed he was communicating with the immortals of the Great Kunlun, but since Namgung Hui couldn't hear anything, it was difficult to grasp the content.

Sometimes, seeing him grin, he thought it might be a lover.

Well, only his master who had ascended to the heavens would know the truth.

Namgung Hui folded the piece of cloth neatly and put it in his bosom.

As Chichi had said, he might have a use for it later.

Since it was white, he could at least use it instead of paper or to wrap a wound.

'Now that the promised time is approaching, shall I go out?'

Since it was a rare outing for Namgung Hui, he also chose to wear some nice clothes.

Since his frame was so good, even if he wore a decent garment, he looked stylish.

A soft yet masculine facial line.

A physique developed through bone transformation and training.

And his white and fine skin further enhanced Namgung Hui's beauty.

Namgung Hui looked at his reflection in the mirror, grinned, and nodded.

'Even though it's my face, it's really handsome. And yet I still don't have a suitable marriage partner. It's truly deplorable.'

Since he had been lying in bed for 10 years, it might have been a natural result.

Perhaps because he recalled that gloomy past.

He recalled Dugu Sang, the culprit of this situation.

'If that man hadn't been jealous, a marriage partner would have been decided at that time, and we would have had a wedding by now.'

But the past was the past.

And since the culprit was dead and gone, he couldn't hold him responsible for anything.

Namgung Hui, thinking that it wasn't too late even now, straightened his clothes and left the room.

"Wow~! Young Master. Why do you look so handsome today?"

Namgung Hui shrugged his shoulders at Chohwa's flattery.

"Still, it's an outing after a long time, so I put in some effort. Do I really look okay?"

"Yes! If you go out to the marketplace right now, everyone's eyes will pop out from staring at you!"

"Your eyes look fine."

"That's because I'm used to your beauty, Young Master. Wait a moment. I'm sure the Young Palace Mistress will be surprised too."

Namgung Hui was also inwardly curious.

Whether Baek Seolhwa would be surprised at his appearance.

He hoped there would be at least some reaction.

A moment later. Perhaps because Cheon Yeohwa's preparations were faster than Baek Seolhwa's, she came out neatly dressed.

She certainly looked different from her shabby slave days, now that she was neatly dressed and bathed.

"Brother. How do I look? I don't look strange, do I?"

"Strange? You're just pretty."

"R-really?"

"Yes. And it would be even better if you gained some more weight."

"So that's your type, brother."

Cheon Yeohwa nodded, lost in her own delusions.

Namgung Hui didn't care much whether Cheon Yeohwa did that or not.

Because Baek Seolhwa was coming out of her quarters.

The moment she opened the door and came out, it was as if the world had brightened.

The sunlight reflected on her jade-like white skin.

Even the dazzling sunlight could not be contained in her skin.

"What are you looking at?"

"You're really beautiful."

"..."

At Namgung Hui's pure admiration, Baek Seolhwa was about to snap at him, but the moment she met his eyes, her mouth closed on its own.

No, her mouth was open, but no words came out.

Her face was hot, perhaps because of the dazzling sunlight.

In that silence, the one who spoke was Cheon Yeohwa, who was next to them.

She, for some reason, grabbed Namgung Hui's arm and said, as if she was displeased.

"You said we were going to eat. Let's just go out quickly instead of being pathetic."

Cheon Yeohwa was leading the way, even though she didn't know where the famous inn was.

Namgung Hui, looking at Cheon Yeohwa, stepped forward as if he had no choice.

Although he could have frowned at the hassle, Namgung Hui's face was instead full of smiles.

Even though the sun was setting, it was an unusually warm day.

* * *

Namgung Hui's group, who had returned after feasting for the first time in a long time, returned to their respective quarters.

They were tired from wandering around all evening.

They had also eaten various things in the marketplace, so they would all be drowsy with sleepiness.

But Namgung Hui did not return to his quarters.

On the contrary, he enjoyed the moonlit night and wandered around his quarters.

Perhaps because of the effect of the elixir, he did not feel tired.

The elixir that On Yuha had given him must have been an elixir full of celestial ki.

'Although I don't know about innate ki, there's definitely a synergistic effect.'

He was inwardly impressed by On Yuha's resourcefulness.

Where on earth had she gotten such an elixir?

Had she gone to the Great Kunlun and bargained directly?

Probably not.

It had been decades since the Kunlun Sect had closed its gates.

With no one visiting, it was difficult to enter the Kunlun Mountains with ordinary martial prowess.

Fierce spirits roamed, and the surroundings were full of demonic bandits.

Of course, there would be many rare medicinal herbs and spirit grasses.

Since people's hands had not touched it for a long time.

But the problem was the spirits that were protecting it.

Hadn't even Chichi coveted the Thunder Ki?

The spirits protecting the spirit grasses were all influenced by the spirit ki and possessed powerful martial prowess.

Although the individual tendencies, whether good or evil, were a separate matter.

'Still, with On Yuha's level, the Kunlun Mountains are out of the question. Then did she get it from an immortal in the Central Plains?'

Well, even if he knew the source, there was nothing he could do.

An immortal who had already given out such an elixir would not have another one.

Even if he had, he couldn't just take it without a reason.

Just as Namgung Hui was about to finish his walk and return to his quarters, a shadow was approaching from a distance.

Thanks to his outstanding eyesight, he could recognize the identity of the shadow in the darkness.

'It's Tang Soso. The promised period is from tomorrow.'

She would be his monitor from tomorrow.

Whether Namgung Hui would leak the incantations of the Rain of Ten Thousand Flowers to an outsider or not.

In fact, if Namgung Hui had a mind to, he could leak it right now.

He could just write a new secret manual and send it somewhere.

Then the reason Tang Soso was sticking to Namgung Hui had another meaning.

'A son-in-law who lives with his wife's family. The reason they're specifically attaching a woman like Tang Soso must be for that reason.'

As Namgung Hui had said before, he did not welcome the Sichuan Tang family.

Not only was the unique smell of poison coming from them annoying, but the women of the Tang family were generally strong-willed.

And because of their closed nature, it was difficult to communicate with them.

The Tang family cherished their family and was very exclusive of outsiders.

If he were to become a son-in-law who lived with his wife's family, would he be able to live with his head held high?

He would feel like he was drying up and dying on his own, even without being poisoned.

And he knew that the sons-in-law of the Tang family who lived with their wives' families had short lives for generations.

"Young Master Namgung Hui. Did you have a good trip?"

"Thanks to you giving me time, I had a good trip. And you, Miss Tang, did you have a good look at the secret manual of the Rain of Ten Thousand Flowers?"

"Yes. It was a very mysterious and profound incantation. If this were to be leaked, a storm of blood would blow in the martial world."

The way she emphasized the words 'storm of blood' seemed to be intended to scare Namgung Hui.

But would Namgung Hui be scared by a mere member of the younger generation?

Of course, if the opponent were the Sichuan Tang family, the story would be a little different, but since Namgung Hui was practically immune to all poisons, he was not afraid of the Tang family.

"There's no reason for me to leak it. Since I don't want to worry about poison every time I eat. By the way, the monitoring is from tomorrow, so why did you come now?"

"That's because I have something to tell you in advance. Here, take this."

Namgung Hui received the scroll she handed him.

He read the content in the moonlight.

'No! This is!'

Information he hadn't even expected was written there.

(End of Chapter)